Weatherproof nail



Patented Dec. 1l, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE wna'rnnarnoor NAIL.'

William C. Dicksom Evanston, Ill.

Application :une 1s, 1931, sei-nl No. 544,388

3 Claims.

'This invention relates to improvements in weatherproof nails and it consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The nails with which my invention is more particularly concerned, are those comprising a hard metal and a cap of shank of relatively due to temperature changes, the nails are slightly pulled or withdrawn to an extent suillcient to lift the cap from engagement with the roofing or siding so that moisture seeps under the cap. In briny atmospheres, the shanks not only rapidly corrode but the `openings formed in driving the nails become enlarged so that the nails soon fail in their intended purpose. It

has been attempted to reduce this pulling or withdrawing effect by using more nails than would ordinarily be employed, but this is not only expensive as to nail cost but also as to labor cost and does not solve the problem in a satisfactory manner.

The prmary object oi' the present invention is to provide a nail of this kind that is so formed as to amply withstand the withdrawing pull of the rooting or siding in its expansion and contraction, so that the number of nails required to hold the roofing or siding in place is materially reduced in number with the assurance that the caps are always in a tight sealed engagement with the roong or siding.

Another object of the invention `is to provide a nail of this kind which isso formed, as to impart a turning action to the nail and which can only be dislodged when driven by a reverse turning of the nail, said reverse turning being resisted by several factors; namely,

the frictional engagement of portions of the cap with the sheet, certain shoulders formed by the deformation of other portions of the cap in its engagement with associated portions of said sheet and by the helical formation of the shank of the nail itself.V

The above mentioned objects of as well as others, together with the tagesithereof will more fully appear as I .proceed with my specication.

the invention many advan- In the drawingz- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a Weatherproof nail embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of a nail embodying my invention, with the cap shown in vertical 5 section.

Fig'. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the overlapping rigid margins of associated roofing or siding sheets showing my improved nail as employed in fastening saidfmar- 10 gins to a rafter or studding.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig.- 3 wherein the nail is used with a different kind of rooiing or siding.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view as taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is anotherview similar to Fig. 3 wherein the improved nail is employed in connection with ordinary corrugated roofing or siding.

` In general, my improved nail comprises Ya shank and a head with an annular shoulder beneath the head and a cap of softer metal such as lead encloses the head, with the bottom of the cap flush with the bottom of the shoulder. Instead of employing a nail having a plain cylindrical shank as found in wirev nails, I provide a shank having helical faces and edges of relatively steep pitch and such a shank is readily made from rectangular cross sectional stock, twisted to provide such faces and edges. Again, I prefer to form ,the cap with a depending peripheral flange, which more readily changes its shape when the nail is driven home, to one straddling associated portion of the 4roong or siding to provide shoulders that assist in preventing a reverse turning of the nail and such a iiange-v also presents a better and more intimate frictional contact between other portions of the cap and said roofing or siding portions, thus producing a nail amply resisting the turning necessary to lift and dislodge the nail under the expansion and contraction of said roong and siding.

l Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawing:1 indicates as a whole the nail which includes a shank 2 having a driving point 3 at one end and a head 4 at the other end with an annular shoulder 5 at the junction of the shank and head.

The shank is preferably formed to provide a plurality of helically disposed surfaces of a relatively steep pitch, so that when the nail is being `driven home, a turning movement of the'nail occurs. I find that the most convenient way in which to provide these surfaces and edges is to make the'nail from wire of a rectangular and preferably of a square cross section and which is twisted to impart the helical faces 6 and corner edges 7 thereto as best shown in Fig. 2.

The head of the nail is enclosed in a cap 8, of metal softer than that from which the nail proper is made and I fmd that lead is a good material forl this purpose. However, instead of casting the cap upon the head from molten metal in suitable moulds, I prefer to apply the same by pressing a mass of cold metal upon the head by means of coacting dies. Such a cap includes, a domed top 3v enclosing the top of the nail head, a peripheral side wall 10, enclosing the peripheral edge of the nail head, and a bottom '11 that encloses the bottom of the nail head and the peripheral edge of the shoulder', the bottom l1 terminating flush with the bottom of the shoulder, which is devoid of cap material. The bottom of the cap is preferably fiat and a portion of the side of the cap depends below the plane of the bottom to provide a downwardly facing at peripheral flange 12.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I have illustrated my improved nail as employed in fastening deep rectangular ribbed or ridged metallic sheets 13-13 to a l studding or rafter 14. Each sheet is provided at one margin with a rib or ridge 15 and gutters 16 A and at the other margin with a rib or ridge 17 that encloses and overlaps the rib and gutter of the first mentioned margin of an associated sheet, the tops of both ribs being of a shallow V-shaped groove cross section. In such roofing and siding sheets which are now extensively used, the V-shaped grooved top of the rib 17 isl of a width somewhat less than the diameter of the cap 8. In fastening such a sheet in place, the driving point 3 of the nail is placed in the bottom of the grooved top of the rib 17 and is then driven in the ordinary manner. The point pierces the tops of the overlapping ribs and enters the studding 14. In this driving of the nail, due to its helical faces 6 and corners 7, a turning movement is imparted to the nail in accordance with the pitch of said helical faces and corners. As the cap approaches the-top of the rib it is driven home so as to bring the cap into good intimate contact with said top and diametrically opposite A portions of said flange straddles the said top to provide shoulders 18 that extend below the plane of the corners of said top of the rib. When the nail is thus driven home, those portions of the flange 12 in the plane of the V-shaped grooved top of the rib are brought into a good intimate frictional contact with said grooved top, and this arrangement coacts with the shoulders in providing a good intimate contact between the cap and rib which effectively seals against the entrance of moisture beneath the cap.

It is known that in use, such metallic sheets when used as roong or siding on a building structure, expand and contract under temperature changes. Heretofore, when nails with cylindrical Shanks were used and even when burred, coated or otherwise roughened, the expansion movements of the sheet tended to lift or withdraw the nails from their driven position. When the sheets contracted, this left the caps spaced from the ribs with the result that moisture entered beneath the caps and followed down the shanks. In briny atmospheres, this induced corrosion of the shank so that soon the capped head would drop off the shank. To overcome this lifting of the nails, a greater number of nails were employed in each rib to hold the sheets down, but this matetrially increased the cost of the structure, both as to nails and labor in drivl ing them.

With my' improved nail, the helicalv formation of the shank not only resists the turning movement necessary for lifting the nail, but this turning movement is further resisted by the reason of the formation of the shoulders 18 and the frictional engagement of those parts of the flange l2, engaging the grooved top of the rib 17 in a plane in a right angle to said shoulders. Thus with my improved nail, the desired result in fastening one or more squares of roofing or sliding in place is attained with but a normal number of nails so that the practice of using a number greater than normal to hold down the roofing or siding is unnecessary. In this manner a great saving is attained in the number of nails necessary and the labor cost in driving them, and a permanent leak and seep-proof seal is provided whereby the nails are protected against corrosion.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown the improved nail as employed in connection with a special kind of corrugated roofing or siding sheets wherein the overlapping hills or ridges 18 and 19 of associated sheets have a convexed top 20 of a relatively small radius. When my improved nails are employed in fastening such sheets 4in place, the opposite side of the cap provides the shoulders 18 as before to assist in resisting that turning movement of the nail necessary to permit the lifting or withdrawal thereof in the expansion of said roofing or siding sheets.

In Fig. 7, I have illustrated, the improved nail as used in connection with ordinary corrugated metal roofing or siding sheets 21 with the nails driven through the overlapping hills or ridges 22 of said sheets. While the shoulder forming effect is still present as will be noticed in said Fig. 7, it is of not such a pronounced or prominent formation as is found in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive. However, in this instance as in the others, before described, said shoulders are suicient to coact with the helical formation of -the shank along with the frictional resistance of those parts of the cap between said shoulders to hold the nail against that reverse turning movement necessary to vlift and dislodge the nail in the expansion of the sheets.

Thus with my improved nail, lifting of the nail and dislodging of the cap from those portions of the sheets engaged thereby, due to expansion of the sheets is eliminated. With such lifting eliminated, it is apparent that only a normal number of nails is requiredper square of roofing or siding, instead'of the abnormal number heretofore used in attempting to prevent such lifting and in this respect labor cost in driving the nails is reduced in proportion.

While in describing the invention, I have referred in detail to the form and construction of the nail, the same is to be considered merely as illustrative so that I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my inventionzf- 1. In combination with metallic rooflngor like sheets having overlapping ridge portions, a support for said'sheets, a nail including a head and a shank of rectangular cross section twisted to provide a plurality of helical faces and corner edges of a relatively steep pitch that impart a turning movement to the nail when driven through said ridges into said support and a member of relatively soft metal associated with said head and having a portion disposed beneath the head deformable into intimate contact with one of said ridge portions and of suiiicient size when the naily is driven home to provide shoulders vengaging opposite sides 'of said one of said ridge portions to prevent a reverse turning of the nail necessary to dislodgethe same from its driven position in the expansion movement of said roong or like sheets.

2. In combination with metallic rooting or the like sheets having ridge portions, a support for said sheets, a nail including a head and a shank so formed that when driven through said ridges into said support, will impart a turning movemerit to said nail, and a member of relatively soft metal associated with said head and having a portion disposed beneath said `head deformable into intimate contact with one of said ridge portions and of such size that when the nail is driven home, shoulders are provided engaging opposite sides of said ridge portions which lock the nail against the reverse turning necessary to dislodge the same from its driven pasition in the expansion movement of the said rooiing or like sheets.

3. A combined fastening and sealing device for ridged metal roofing comprising a nail having a headl and a shank, said shank beneath the head being of spiral formation terminating in a point, whereby to enable the nail t'o be hammer-driven into position through one of the ridges, thereby to have rotation imparted to it during said driving, and a sealingmember associated with the head to seal the opening in the ridge of the roofing resultant from the driving of the nail through the roofing; said sealing member being formed of metal softer than that of the roofing and of such size as to conform to and to seal the opening inthe ridge of the roofing and to form locking members engaging either side of the ridge of the roong to prevent reverse turning ofthe shank.

WILLIAM C. DICKSON. 

